CulinaryRx: What Food Would You Prescribe for Hypertension?

MedPage Today and John La Puma, MD, want your dietary prescription for this patient with hypertension.

With nutrition advice changing every day, it's hard for clinicians to know exactly what to say to their patients who want to eat better, particularly for specific conditions. Everyone knows to eat less processed food, exercise more, and get more sleep, but not everyone knows what to eat to improve the treatment of high blood pressure, diabetes, irritable bowel, colorectal cancer, and more.

The bi-weekly CulinaryRx series aims to change that. One week, we'll present a new case and ask for your culinary Rx. Then we'll discuss the case and your responses with two experts via Google Hangout. The episode and a transcript will be published the following week.

We're pleased that Michael Roizen, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, and Robert Lustig, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, will be our first guests. You can watch the episode on Wednesday, April 29.

Here's the first case. We're looking forward to your responses.

A 54-year-old white man presents for a checkup. He denies past medical problems but has been told that his BP was a little high. He has no complaints, takes no medications, tries to adhere to a healthy diet, does not salt his food, and walks his dog every Sunday.

He reports that over the previous 3 years he has gained 6.8 kg (15 lb). Review of systems is otherwise noncontributory. He drinks a 12-ounce beer every night, does not smoke, and has a cup of home-brewed coffee in the morning. He does not cook or shop for food, but his wife does, and she wants to help.

Examination is notable for a waist of 41 inches, a BMI of 38.2 kg/m2 and BP 168/96 mmHg in his left arm, measured twice, sitting, 5 minutes apart. He takes a multivitamin when he remembers. The remainder of the examination is unremarkable.

Laboratory measurements of cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood count are within normal limits. He is prepared to take a daily ACE inhibitor and begin an exercise program, and would like to optimize his diet too.

Dx: Essential Hypertension

Rx: Your Culinary Medical Rx

Questions:

1. What eating plan would you recommend for this patient, and why?

2. Which foods and beverages should he specifically avoid?

3. Which foods and beverages should he specifically consume, how much and how often?

Submit your responses via the Comments button below, or email them with "CulinaryRx Response" in the subject line to Kristina Fiore at k.fiore@medpagetoday.com.

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